Former Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina Selmo Cikotić arrived today at the Vojkovići prison in Istočna Ilidža, where he will serve a three-year sentence, confirmed the Director of the Institute for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions, Detention and Other Measures of BiH, Siniša Perković.
Cikotić began serving his sentence after the Appellate Division of the Court of BiH confirmed the first-instance verdict in which he was found guilty of abuse of office or authority.
The second-instance verdict rejected the appeals of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH and the defendant’s defense attorney, making the verdict of December 5, 2023, final.
“The first-instance verdict established that Cikotić, as Minister of Defense in the Council of Ministers, abused his official position, thereby committing the extended criminal offense of abuse of office or authority, and he was sentenced to three years in prison,” the Court of BiH announced at the time.
Cikotić was charged with facilitating the sale of surplus weapons from BiH to the Zagreb company “Skaut” from 2009 to 2011, which caused damage to the BiH budget by 9.7 million marks.
According to the indictment, the then BiH Minister of Defense signed a series of decisions and annexes that violated valid agreements and decisions of the BiH Presidency.
No appeal is allowed against the second-instance verdict, BHRT writes.
